I decided to come back at the right time. My kitchen is one big horrid mess. The last few months have been crazy busy. I will definitely be working for points today! I have good news, and one of the reasons I haven't been around: Wipf & Stock is going to publish my e-book: What You Didn't Learn in Sunday School: Women Who Didn't Shut Up & Sit Down! So it's going to be a paperback and professional done e-book from a traditional publisher. I'm very, very happy.
I also printed out everything to make up a housecleaning schedule because I need to get back to taking care of my poor home. Getting back to minimum maintenance is an absolute must!
I hope everyone is doing well!

I've heard rumblings from the gallery that many of you miss the Point System that allowed you to compete for monthly prizes. So today, I'm going to give you fierce competitors out there a chance to show your stuff! Read on, my game-loving girlfriends. This time of year, the kitchen is working on...

My thanks to Company Girl Shawna Attebery, who reminded me that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and requested her all-time favorite Small Thing post. Without further ado, here is "Jug Care:" Jugs. Everyone's got them. Highly prized for their usefulness and beauty, jugs come in...

This comment is not related at all to today's small thing. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and I was wondering if you would repost my all time favorite Small Thing this week: Taking care of your jugs? I'm sure some of the newer Company Girls would love it. :)

Groovy, man. We might be the last remaining people in the United States who have a sliding glass door. When we first moved into this house, we had to replace the original sliding door, and it would have been the perfect opportunity to put in French doors......but no. I suppose we were count...

Did you know when you decided to try out the Small Things that they would be so easy? If you're still sitting on the fence trying to decide whether or not you can do this stuff, today's "challenge" should remove all doubt. It's CHILD'S PLAY! Well, maybe not. Matches are involved. Today'...

I woke up this morning with my sinuses in an uproar. The sinus medicine is slowly chipping away at it, but I think a nice cup of tea will help it along. It's also cloudy, grey and very England-like around here, so I think today's Small Thing is perfect.
I'm thinking of a nice Chamomile. Although normally I'm a big black tea drinker with Earl Grey and Assams being my favorites.
I'm very happy with myself because I've gotten back in the habit of Minimum Maintenance. It is absolutely amazing what 10-15 minutes of picking up & cleaning up in the evening does for my home.

As much as I LOVE my coffee, sometimes there is nothing like a soothing cup of tea. Sleepytime tea, a blend of chamomile and peppermint, is my favorite bedtime drink - it puts me in the mood for slumber! Raspberry is another flavor I really like. And the black teas - Earl Gray, Chai, Engl...

Whoo-hoo! I've already done the small thing. I cleaned the bathroom today and vacuumed it. It was horrendous--the bathroom. The thing I need to do is get back to minimum maintenance and a housekeeping schedule. I'm also planning on vacuuming the rest of the condo as there is cat hair, kitty litter, and food particles all over the place. I think there's wooden floors somewhere under all of that....

We were driving away from my sister's house and the cousins were being silly as they waved goodbye to each other through the open car window. "Goodbye, Candy Cane!" one cousin called. "Goodbye, Lollipops!" my son, Grayson yelled back. Why they were calling each other "candy" names, I have no...

May be it's time to get rid of the big, billowing flannel nightgown The Hubby is always teasing me about. I also have a really old nightgown that I never wear because it never smells right--even after I wash it. May be I don't need to be that frugal....

It was late at night and I was already in my jammies, chatting with my son before heading to bed. We talked about this and that and got on the subject of some kind of injustice in the world, like the high cost of new video games or parts for his car. I shook my head in sympathy. "I know, bab...

Rachel everything looks so beautiful! I love what you did with the mirror! You're making me think how I can repurpose things I have. Congratulations on being almost done and good luck with the hutch!
When you get a chance let us know how your father-in-law is doing.

Girls, I'm ALMOST done with the work at the TV studio. A few things got added at the end so I'm still putting in some long days to get it all done before the Tuesday deadline. I thought you might like to see what it looks like so far. My painting, which I showed in previous posts as I started ...

I will be praying for Bob. I'm so glad everything worked out. We had that kind of scare with The Hubby earlier this year. He had chest pains, and we went to the ER where everything turned out fine. His pain was caused by a pinched nerve under his left shoulder. You can't be too careful with chest pain. I'm glad you were able to tell your in-laws to get to the hospital now.

It's been quite a week. My father in law had a heart attack on Wednesday - and it is really an amazing story how he made it to the hospital in time and survived with minimal damage to his heart. This is the short version! The day started when Tom and I arrived at the TV studio job site and Tom w...

That' works for me. We're in Nebraska this week visiting the in-laws, and the 3rd week of August we'll be in Las Vegas for magic conference, so I won't be home half the month anyway.
Can't wait to see your projects: especially the door-sized one.

Hi Sweet Company Girls! I hope you had a great weekend. I want to let you know that I am going to take a break from posting our daily Small Things for the month of August. I've got a really full month, with the work on the TV studio taking up most of it. The project takes about 3 hours round...

Your daughter and I married around the same time. My Hubby and I celebrated our fifth anniversary on May 26. We're late bloomer married people, and I think that's a good way to go too. :)
I want to see how the art piece goes; along with Katharine, I'm intrigued. Have a great weekend!

Happy Anniversary to my daughter, Lauren and her husband Robert! Has it already been FIVE years? I am so proud of them - they are both beautiful inside and out, and they were lucky to find each other early in life. I just love them! I love being with them and seeing them grow in their life t...

I've actually been trying to do this. I'm horrible about leaving my shoes all over the place. First thing I do when I get in is kick them off. I'll make sure I do a sweep through to day to see if any of them have been loafing under my radar.

I looked around in disgust at the careless way the people in this household left their shoes everywhere. No matter how many times I've told them to please. put. them. away., it seems like my demands fall on deaf ears. It's like I'm their slave and they are happy to let me pick up after the...

This is something you could put up once a week. I'm sure I have offenders that need to be chucked.
My poor house needs a little sanctuary. Hoping to get back in the swing and part of the community again.

Today's Small Thing is revisited BY REQUEST of one of my sweet, "real life" Company Girls, Leanne J. She clutched my hand and begged me to offer points for doing this task which she said she really needs motivation to do. "Pleeeheeeze, Rachel!!" Well, Leanne, points are just the thing to help yo...

Coffee Tables get a workout every day. They shoulder the weight of newspapers and magazines, balance cups and plates, and shelter a family of remotes. And as if that weren't enough, they get sat on, played on, feet propped up on and eaten on without so much as a "thank you" for all t...

Today we are counting rings. No, not these rings: Or these: We are counting the OTHER kinds of rings....the ones that occur quite by accident, or possibly by the ever-popular "Laissez-Faire" ("leave it alone") style of relaxed housekeeping, which the French introduced in the 1800's. The te...

Thank for the reminder to get back to the basics. I needed both the reminder of minimum maintenance and the housekeeping schedule from last week. I always forget what a HUGE difference minimum maintenance makes then get back to doing and am amazed at how good my home looks. Here's to getting back on track.

Last week, our challenge was to sit down and think about how to set up a simple housekeeping schedule. This school year, mine will look different than it ever has......so it is still evolving. As I was thinking about how to set it up, I realized that the success or failure of my efforts reall...

I'm glad your July was full of fabulousness. And my poor sanctuary needs the daily tips. I was thinking yesterday that my inbox was getting a little out of hand, so I will be going through emails later today.
But first I want to go through the 2nd edit of the first chapter of Career Women of the Bible. Yes! I finally finished writing the 1st chapter. It's not near as bad as I thought it would be. Well once I got rid of all the passive voice, stopped flipping between present and past tense verbs, and deleted as many "just's" and "in fact's" that I could (I like those two words way too much). But the proposal is now more than half way done! 2 chapters written and one to finish! Yahoo!

Has it really been a month already?? July literally flew by, and the break from posting Small Things came at just the right time for me. I needed the extra time to focus on other things, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the world managed to keep turning - even without me online. Imagi...

Missing my train has led to some wonderful art discoveries, and last month was no exception, when I decided to go in the grand front entrance of Suburban Station while waiting until the next train. I usually enter via a staircase that rises suddenly out of the sidewalk. One Penn Center is ...

Deciding to make quilt patterns in glass was one of the most exciting choices I've made as a mosaic artist. The Log Cabin block in particular brings out my creativity and allows me to play with color. The challenge of making scrap quilts gives me a good springboard for my own mosaics made of...

With a nod to our Company Girls in the Southern Hemisphere, who are heading into winter, our subject today revolves around the never-ending piles of dishes in the summer months. If you have children out of school, or at least off their regular schedules, it seems like every. time. you. turn...

I will be savoring all weekend: in 30 minutes I'm heading out for our church's women's retreat. I'm so ready to get away. The last couple of weeks have been hell-acious for me. I'm totally stuck with writing and business which causes all kinds of stuck and shutting down from overwhelm and anxiety, plus I had migraine problems this weekend. I'm saying good-bye to it all and getting away with a wonderful group of women. We intentionally create a safe space for everyone, and we love to have fun. Plus there will be smores and wine! And lots of food!
I hope all the Company Girls have a good weekend. I'll say pray for all of you this weekend.

This is a re-post from last year, but the message in it hits me right where I'm at today. Maybe you'll enjoy it, too. FYI: This is not a photo from our weekend, but it goes with our Small Thing. :) It was one. hellacious. weekend. We cleaned out the barn and "bunny hutch," as we call it, and...

I started noticing last night that the eau de kitty litter was wafting further and further down the hall. I'll clean it out and take out the trash. It's not smelling but the tub needs to be scrubbed down too.

Not counting the facts that old dogs can't hear, can't hunt, and can't fetch like they used to, the main problem with old dogs is that they stink. As in "emit a foul odor." Our old dog, Beau, has been a trusty compadre for about 13 years. In his prime, he was the best-looking yellow lab yo...

Things are going really good here. A prayer of thanksgiving for both of us being healthy, my depression is under control, and the sun finally coming out and warming Chicago up.
My one prayer request is that I have a bajillion ideas for my business, and I need to pick a few and focus. I pray God will help me discern which ones to focus and which to leave on the backburner.
Dear Company Girls, I have prayed for all of you on this list, and will hold you up in my prayers before bed.

“Sometimes I lie awake at night, and ask, 'Where have I gone wrong?' Then a voice says to me, 'This is going to take more than one night.'” I was driving my son, Grayson, home from school and he was bummed out. He'd just found out that his girlfriend was going to be out of town on the weeken...

I am determined to get back on The Small Things bandwagon. I really fell off last month. I did both First Things First yesterday and cleared away my three things today: I folded up a pile of laundry on the bed, cleaned off the coffee table, and straightened up the magazines. Now I need to get back to Minimum Maintenance.

There are a lot of things in this world that I really don't care to see. Misspelled tattoos. Children drinking Starbucks lattes. Sagging pants. Bad signage. Middle aged women who dress inappropriately. Celebrities with underarm hair. Talking and eating at the ...